Seventeen
by caitlyn1225
Summary: Takes place in the year 2170, in a futuristic type dystopian short story, where genetic modification is expensive and only for the best of the best; and yet most people have it. But for Tessa Gray and William Herondale, they were the unfortunate ones. They disgusted people. James Carstairs received too much of it and became an outcast. Friendship and unusual romance. Enjoy. :)
1. Everybody's Fool

**Hello, all!**

**So, if you haven't guessed... in technical terms, I was challenged to do this. My great friend, SilverCarstairs, dared me via Facebook. So, here I am, writing about a ship I know she loves... and this is my way of saying thank you to her for everything she has said to me on reviews.**

**Of course, much love goes to Morning and Eve and Issi Herondale as well. And all my previous reviewers. But mostly to those three... because... well, I'll explain in a moment.**

**These were my Terms &amp; Conditions:**

**1\. Something that has to do with my past/previous life. AKA, as SilverC says, "mermaids". This stemmed from me telling her that I drink so much water I would've been a mermaid in a prior life.  
_There has been a modification. Scratch the mermaids. It is now based in the future and genetic __modification._  
**

**2\. Must contain Jessa and Wessa, as well as her special ship... Heronstairs.**

**3\. I must tag at least one person to do the number challenge.**

**YES. This is the Number Challenge. In this case, I have chosen the number 17. Why? Because I am to soon turn 17. **

**I also have chosen 3 specific people to tag to continue this: Issi Herondale, SilverCarstairs, and Morning and Eve.**

**Aaaaand here are their Terms &amp; Conditions:**

**1\. It has to do with their past. Their choice. _Or..._****It can be... some crazy plot line, which I shall PM them about.**

**2\. Hopefully it's TID/TMI/TDA/TLH, etc. related. If this chain continues... then it shall branch out everywhere else.**

**3\. Must tag AT LEAST one person to do so.**

**So... you all know the rules, right? Pick a number. Any number. You have that many days to post that many chapters and have to have that many words. So, at 17, I have to have 17 chapters in 17 days with either 1,700 words or 17,000 words. I'll do 17,000.**

**Shall we get started?**

**Enjoy, everyone! :)**

* * *

**_Year 2170_**

TESSA'S POV

Flawless. Perfect. Impeccable.

What do all those words have in common? Other than being synonyms of one another? Other than being adjectives?

My brother, Nathaniel Gray.

Popular. Spoiled. The favored one.

And then there was me.

Plain, boring Theresa Gray.

But please, call me Tessa.

You're new here, aren't you?

Well, let me show you around a little bit.

Oh, and you might want to hang on; things are about to get a little intense.

* * *

When a teenager turns thirteen years old, they are to undergo genetic modifications. This does not change any habits or natural talents you may have obtained in life. Just the way you look.

And believe me. Where I'm from? _Everyone_ has had this procedure done.

Well, save the few unlucky ones.

They say it doesn't hurt, that they give you some kind of anesthesia, some kind of medicine that never allows you to feel pain until the healing process is complete. They say it only takes a few hours.

But the neat thing is that you get to _choose_ what modifications you want done.

My brother Nate got his cheekbones altered, along with his jaw and his nose. I hardly recognized him when he came out of the operation.

But I guess that was the point.

However, my parents could only afford to have one child to have the procedure, and since my parents favored Nate, he got the surgery. It even came with lifetime warranty and any additional operations for _him_ in the future. It also allowed him to choose where his family moved.

And in this case, he chose London, England. He uprooted the entire family from our comfortable life in New York City, New York, just so he could _really_ get a new life.

So here I am, standing in the hallway by the front door of the house my family and I lived in on the outskirts of London. I wore a long-sleeved plain pink dress, my brown tresses falling down my back, and no makeup. My grey eyes looked sullen and wild from lack of sleep.

I sighed. Why couldn't I be pretty like everyone else?

I picked up my messenger bag off the ground by my feet, slung it over the shoulder, and headed outside to go to school.

* * *

I hugged my text books to my chest, trying to curl in on myself enough to disappear. Perhaps if I could only blend in...

There was yelling off to the right of the hallway. A crowd was gathering, and voices were yelling and booing.

I frowned. That's odd. No one _ever_ created trouble in the London Institute.

I cautiously approached the circle, standing on my toes to see over all the people. Being tall for a girl had its advantages. It didn't take me long before I spotted Gabriel Lightwood, a cocky son-of-a-bitch-top-of-the-social-food-chain-because-they-can-afford-as-many-operations-as-they-want, stood over another boy, about the same age. Gabriel was a year ahead of me in school, but one of the prettiest in the school. He had perfect, rich chocolate-colored hair that was always shiny, and mesmerizing green eyes that always stared straight through me.

"Get out of my way, Lightworm," the boy seethed. I couldn't see him, just his arm and leg from where I stood.

"Make me, Herondale," Gabriel sneered. He raised his arm and shoved the boy's shoulder.

The boy stumbled back a little bit, and I was able to catch sight of him. I gaped, suddenly understanding why people were gathering around to watch.

A non-modified was facing down _Gabriel Lightwood_...

But he was pretty, in his own way. He had jet black, curling hair and startling violet-blue eyes, an elegant face...

Yet it was obvious that he was normal. Like me.

If that could even be considered normal...

Just as the boy was stepping forward, a silvery figure jumped between the two.

"Stop," a gently, lulling voice said.

I watched as the boy stepped into view. I recognized him as James Carstairs. He was one of the few kids in the school who hadn't wanted genetic modification, yet his parents made him get it. They gave him too much, and his hair and eyes turned silver. He was... beautiful.

James was something of a feat. It was said that he _never_ got angry with anyone, never raised his voice... and that he was an incredibly talented fighter and musician.

_All of which I will_ never_ be..._

Though his parents _did_practically disown him a few months earlier.

Gabriel sneered. "Whatever, Carstairs. William, you're lucky your boyfriend stepped in or I would've kicked your ass."

The dark-haired boy, William, stared down at his feet. The crowd around me dispersed, and then it was just me and the two boys in the hallway. They were murmuring closely together, almost intimately, when they looked up and noticed me standing, blinking at them.

Jem's silver gaze fixed right on me and he smiled. "Hi there. I'm James Carstairs, but they call me Jem."

I flushed, staring down at my feet. Why was he being so nice to me? "I'm Theresa Gray, but I go by Tessa," I muttered sheepishly, humiliated that I'd been caught staring. I risked a chance to look at the boys.

Will was staring at me curiously. "Are you related to Nathaniel?"

_Of course he knew who that was..._

I nodded. "Yeah."

"He's a douche bag," Will said, shaking his head.

I smiled. "That he is."

"So if he's..." Will started.

I bit my lip. "We couldn't afford it. I don't like to talk about it. I know I'll never be pretty like anyone else. But hey, it was nice meeting you two. Stay out of trouble," I said, turning on my heel and walking to class.

* * *

**Alright... So. I know that sucked immensely. I know it did. And I apologize. But this was my challenge so I must fulfill it!**

**There you go, SilverC. I expect you to review since you made me do this challenge!**

**And... because of her, each chapter will be named after a song. In this case it's "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence.**

**Anyway! Stay tuned!**

**And please, review so I can get feedback and what not. :) **

**I love you all!**

**XOXO!**

**Caitlyn :)**


	2. Nobody's Fool

**Hi everyone! Thank you following/favoriting/reviewing! I will not respond to reviews on this one as it takes away the point of my Number Challenge by using up all my words on reviews...**

**But thank you for those of you who did!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

TESSA'S POV

I sat in class, trying desperately to not tap my pencil on my notebook. It was a nervous habit, one I reverted to when my nerves were shot. And in this case, my nerves were _definitely_ shot. I mean, _no one_ generally asked questions about family. And a non-modified should _never_ ask another non-modified why they weren't modified.

It was just considered flat-out rude.

I mean, what the hell? This kid had some nerve. He stood up to Gabriel, he probed me for answers I didn't want to give...

I shook my head. I shouldn't think about him.

But Jem had been so nice to me... You'd think he would be angry. Angry at his parents for the operations, angry at the world for what they had done to him. But he _wasn't_. And that was... amazing. Admirable.

I sighed and bit my lip. My thoughts were going into dangerous zones. I mean, I really only knew about rumors of these kids, and their names. Nothing more.

"I saw you talking to that non-modified and the outcast, Gray," a nasally voice whispered from behind me.

Great. Jessamine Lovelace. The top-dollar, hottest girl in school, yet no one deemed good enough for her.

I turned my head fractionally, just enough to catch her bulbous blond curls. "What's it to you, Lovelace?"

She tossed her hair. "Oh, nothing. It's just funny you'd be talking to those two. Better not get your hopes up."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why? Scared I'll get a boyfriend before you do?"

She snorted. "Right. Like _I'm_ scared of _that_. I'm just referring to the rumors that those two are gay."

Trying to hide my disappointment, I said, "I don't want a boyfriend before I'm Turned anyway. And besides, neither one of them are that attractive."

I thought back to the two of them whispering closely in the hallway together. Well, it did seem logical that they _could_ be gay...

_Well, there goes any hope I had for _those_ ships to sail._

"May the best woman win," Jessamine said, tipping her head toward me. I rolled my eyes and refocused my attention on class.

It was _so_ on.

* * *

After school ended, I strolled toward my locker, keeping my head down like I learned to do. I mean, no one _really _wanted to stare at this ugly face, as I quickly figured out.

I stopped before I got to my locker. On either side of it were leaning Jem and Will, both of which had their sights set on me. I flushed but ignored them and went to my locker anyway. As I was twisting the lock back and forth, Jem spoke.

"So, Tessa. Will wanted to say something to you," he said in a proud voice.

I cocked an eyebrow and glanced to my right at Will, who was shooting Jem a death glare. "I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier," he grumbled. His eyes flicked to mine and I sucked in a breath. If he _ever_ got the surgery, I hoped he wouldn't change those eyes.

I shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I was just surprised. Most of the Turned are known to ask questions and speak to non-Turned like that, so I was...offended, if you will, but your inconsideration of my feelings."

Will's eyes widened in amusement and he grinned. "I like you. You'll fit in well with us."

I frowned and turned to Jem. "Is he crazy, or does he mean something by that?"

Jem laughing, smile and eyes twinkling. "Both. But he's saying that he wants you a part of your group."

I stilled. Maybe they _were_ gay. Gay people were nice. Gay people were friendly. Gay people were inviting. It all made sense...

But I _did_ need friends. I nodded. "That would be...fun."

Jem grinned. "Perfect. Then what are you waiting for? Come on!"

He tugged at my hand, urging me to follow. I smiled, feeling relief wash over me as I looked back at Will, who was grinning as well, He took my other hand, and despite all the weird looks I got, we walked out of the school happily.

* * *

**Hello! So... I've had A LOT of trouble uploading this chapter since Wednesday. I've removed it and replaced it, I've tried to update it, etc. It hasn't been working. I've gotten the emails every time I do it, but apparently it hasn't been showing I updated.**

**Thank you, SilverC, for pointing that out!**

**So. Please review so I know that it _did_ update! I'll be posting the other 2 chapters that I'm missing later today.**

**I SWEAR I HAVE NOT FAILED THE CHALLENGE IT'S JUST THAT FANFICTION HAS BEEN HAVING SO MANY PROBLEMS.**

**Anyway, let me know!  
**

**Xoxo!**

**Caitlyn :)**


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